BLI N-Scale Announcements

[peteski]

Some other BLI's N scale models (IIRC P5a electric) also used similar design where the middle driver is a "dummy" - strictly cosmetic without touching the rails.  Not sure why they thing this needed to be done.

[robertjohndavis]

Some other BLI's N scale models (IIRC P5a electric) also used similar design where the middle driver is a "dummy" - strictly cosmetic without touching the rails.  Not sure why they thing this needed to be done.

A true dummy driver is flangeless. This one looks like it has a flange.

[thomasjmdavis]

On another note, anyone else notice the middle two drivers don't actually touch the rail? This is most evident by running in one direction, stopping, and reversing direction. The third driver will spin in the air until the slop in the rods runs out and then the fourth driver will begin to turn and actually drive the loco. Is this typical of BLI steamers? The only steamers I've owned up to this point have been the Kato GS-4 and FEF-3, both of which have suspension of sorts to equalize the drivers, and the 3751 clearly has no such engineering.

Am I seeing a (perhaps somewhat too thick) traction tire on the 4th driver?  Or are my eyes playing tricks on me again?

[spookshow]

Am I seeing a (perhaps somewhat too thick) traction tire on the 4th driver?  Or are my eyes playing tricks on me again?

Your eyes are not deceiving you.



-Mark

[Maletrain]

If the third driver spins before the others engage, then it must be gear-driven.  So, definitely not supposed to be a dummy.

Maybe check whether there is some sort of suspension that is stuck, or maybe due to a traction tire being too thick on an adjacent driver.

Looking at the (somewhat blurry) picture, I am wondering if there should be a traction tire on the 3rd driver and NOT on the 4th driver.  Which drivers are actually gear-driven.  (For my tastes, the traction tires should be on a gear driven wheel.)

[spookshow]

Aha, there they are. Thanks!

-Mark

[peteski]

Your eyes are not deceiving you.



-Mark

What a strange design.  Only the 3rd driver is gear driven and yet the traction tire is on the 4th driver, driven purely by the siderods.  It is a really bad design to have the driver which pretty much provides most traction in the model to be driven by siderods while the actual driven driver just sits there over the rail looking pretty. Even if all the wheels were on the rails, that is still not an optimal design.  They should have placed the traction tire on the gear driven driver and had the fourth driver be strictly cosmetic. Kato did that on their 4-8-4 locos, but they gave it soft springy suspension so it actually rode on the rails (and also picked up power), not hover above.  Model mechanism designers should pay more attention to Kato's designs - they are quite clever.

[Mark5]

So ... how does it pull? 

[thomasjmdavis]

Your eyes are not deceiving you.



-Mark

Mark, if you still have it apart, could you confirm the driver tread diameter (on one of the non-traction tired drivers)?

[spookshow]

I don't currently have mine. The motor stopped working, so I had to send it back for a replacement.

-Mark

[robertjohndavis]

I don't currently have mine. The motor stopped working, so I had to send it back for a replacement.

-Mark

And so it begins? Will be interesting to see if this is a one-off or if there is a chronic issue. At least BLI is good with service.

[kiwi_al]

Sigh, so that's an F for BLI on Spookshows site  It looks like I may have to transfer the shell over to a Kato mechanism if Mark can't get a decent runner

[spookshow]

I was running tests to determine minimum curve radius and after the pilot truck derailed on a 9 3/4" curve it simply stopped responding to the throttle (lights, sound, no movement). I tried performing a hard "push the button" reset, but that didn't help. Seems weird that derailing the pilot truck would cause such a catastrophic failure, and maybe that was just a coincidence. In any case, I'll wait for the replacement before assigning any grades. I was really impressed with the way it ran up until it stopped running 

-Mark

[Simon D.]

This is interesting.  The BLI loco is significantly shorter.  Comparison with Hallmark brass 3751 and 3765.  After a quick check of Worley's Iron Horses of the Santa Fe Trail, I think they may have used dimensions from the original build of the 3751 class, but the rebuilt versions had larger wheels and boilers.  The Bachmann Northern is also longer.
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[Simon D.]

Also, 3751 was the only loco to have the two steam pipes hidden.  These are missing from the BLI model as well.


https://sfrhms.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/atsf_4-8-4_models.pdf


Oh dear...


Still it's a lovely runner and puller.